Cambridge Standing Tall giraffe trail ‘generated £3.6m for local economy’

Break has revealed that this spring’s Cambridge Standing Tall sculpture trail not only raised more than £140,000 for the charity, but generated an estimated £3.6million for the area.

The charity engaged Zing Insights to carry out an evaluation of the giraffe trail, which attracted an estimated 190,000 visits.

The evaluation looked at how much people may have spent while viewing the sculptures, with more than half of those giving feedback saying it encouraged them to discover attractions or places they had never been to before.

On average, visitors spent 2.4 days in the city, and a number also stayed overnight, with many spending an extra day in Cambridge as a result of the trail.

As well as the economic impact, the trail – which was supported by the Cambridge Independent – also made a significant social impact, with more than 90 per cent of visitors saying the trail improved their sense of health and wellbeing, encouraging them to get outdoors.

Peter Marron, Cambridge Standing Tall’s project manager, said: “It’s wonderful to know that it was so positively received, not just for Break but for Cambridge and the surrounding areas as well.

“From the evaluation, we can see that people really made the most of the trail. They not only discovered all our gentle giants but also took time to explore the other places and venues this wonderful city has to offer.

“The trail is there for everyone of all ages to enjoy and we love that it’s brought friends and families together and that it has helped other businesses and the local economy.

“We’ve raised an fantastic amount this year for Break and we’d like to thank everyone who visited our colourful herd!”

Delivered by Break, in partnership with Wild in Art, Cambridge BID and Alan Boswell Group, the trail took place for 10 weeks from 21 March to 2 June, with 31 large decorated giraffe sculptures across the city, all sponsored by a local business and designed by a national or regional artist. Alongside them were more than 60 ‘Mini Gs’ created by local schools and community groups as part of the trail’s Learning and Community programme.

The large sculptures were auctioned off at the end of the trail to raise funds.

All money raised will help the charity to continue its work with the county’s young care leavers.